The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1887-04-28
FISHING FOR snnGsIps.
Work OF the Chinese Fishermen Alc.S the
rsc!ac Coast.

The sight of tho awkward Chinese
junk has become so common in the bay
rs to hardly attract the attention OF those
who are in the habit Of using the ferry
bonts constantly. says the San Francisco
FeS. Occasionally some jocular. con
>tcniptrous remark is made on the build
OF rig of one OF the crafts. coupled with
q pitying allusiun 70 tho povGity-strickea
looking crew. Tho owners of the crafts
can afford to let the laugh go round,
and mono of them arc at ali Ges.rous of
correcting the mistaken impression rs
TO their poycry and the small anioun.
realized by their trade. II will as:onish
niany of those who have ridiculed the
clumsy, hinh-stcrncd boxes. with theiI
Slated squaresails. TO learn thst the
freight carried by these boats amounts
IN value 10 abou; SIS 600. 600 year. All
of them src engaged in the fishing trade
on the hay and the lsgoons or tidal
creeks which run up into the low rnarshy
lands lying along the shores. They are
here TO make as much money In IS short
a time rs possible. and then 60 back to
Cr.na. From Vallejo TO the extreme
southern end OF the bay ihey sre busy
all the year round, dragging the waters
OF the bay with nets having me.hes so
small that nothing that swims can es-
cape them; salmon fry. minnows. young
hezring, shrimps. and large fish, are all
scooped in. The larger fish are sold at
10 to Is cents per pound in Chinatown.
while the smaller ones, together with
the shrimps. are sent abroad. When 8
haul is made the wriggling mass IS sort
ed out on the beach, tine larger fish be-
ing 1T once sent to market. The small
fish are again sorted, the larger ones be-
ing dried ard packed separately. The
shrimps, after being dried, arc shaken
up in sieves OF riddles. The shells and
small portions of the shrimps fall
through the .ieyes and are carefully
gathered up in sacks. The meaty parts
Gre carefully packed and slsD sent abroad
, as table de}icacy; the shells and re-
fuse. together with the refuse fish, arc
aii packed together and sent away to be
used as food for fowls OF for manure.
Every steamer leaving this port takes
away in the neighborhood of 400 tons OF
dried shrinnps and fish in the proper
tions of $50 tons of shrimps, 200 tons OF
ssrdines, salmon, etc, and fifty tons OF
shrimp shells and fish manure. The
shrimps are the most valuable, bringing
in China an average of $500 per ton.
The sardines and salmon are worth
$500 per ton, and the refuse $40 per ton.
or total of $S7. 900 for the 400 tons of
product. For years the shipments aver
aged three month, or thirty-siN ship
nnents year, being an export Of IS, l32. :
900 worth of stufis gathered by the Chi
nese iunks, and their lazy. shiftiess-
looking crews. Beyond the slight
amount necessary to buy the lumber for
their boats and a little cordege and
cloth for sails and rigging. hardly a
dollar Of this large sum is spent in this
country. Even the nets and the t.Tlne
of which they are made are brought
from abroad. A gentleman who was
engaged for years in searching Chinese
steamers states that he has often seen
Cinnamon lRnd at the mail dock With
| nothing in the world in the shape OF
capital except one of these nets. In
about q month the same Chinaman
would appear as shipper of from three
| to ten tons of fish. He had in tho Inean-
tine associated himself with four or five
others; they had secured a secondhand
boat and gone TO work dragging the
bay. In few months he was not only
shipper but an importer, receiving
large lots of rice, sugar, dried fowls, and
other articles OF Chinese food, as well as
clothing.